Just hoping for a few opinions...

A good friend of mine has recently bought a 1.0 K10 Nissan Micra, to use as a daily while he drops a 2.0 Turbo into his Rover 200. Now we are both really into our cars, and love driving, but we have never before had two cars with similar performance. So, last night, we took the little 1 litres out for a bit of a play, booting it down the backroads, squeezing through some narrow alleyways, rolling round mini roundabouts and what not. Nothing really stupid, just spirited driving, and chucking the cars about a bit more than usual.

When we stopped, he was saying how he has never been able to have that much fun in a car before. With the Rover, and his previous hot hatches, as soon as you put your foot down, your doing well over the speed limit, and it becomes dangerous. With the 1 litres, you can hoon about for ages without really breaking the speed limit, and with enough braking time to feel relatively safe. If you keep your wits about you and don't act really stupid, your not really any more of a danger to anyone than normal.

It's the old conundrum of slow car fast, or fast car slow. You can drive a slow car quickly, more often, and more safely, than anything quick.

This has got me thinking. I've got a 1.4 ABD sitting in the garage. The plan is to get it in, and with a few other mods, have it running 75-80ish bhp and lots more torque. Now though, I'm worried that in doing this, I won't be able to have as much fun in the car.

Thoughts...?

You can have fun in a fast car but you would be doing illegally. I have the same turbo engine in my vitesse and it makes overtaking easier. I must admit I'm loving my little polo 1.3 its a fun little thing and as you said you can have fun at legal speeds

Polos still feel like youre going to die going down lanes at 60mph with a 1.0 or a lot more power, just because the powers there doesnt mean you have to use it, as said above, over taking etc is easier, more fun pulling out of corners etc.

But I do get what you mean, you can have a lot of fun.

My BMW is only a 2.0 diesel so not exactly fast, but has a pretty decent chassis, so carrying speed around corners is fairly easily done, pretty bland experience really as you have to go fast to get any sort of kicks really

Just because you have more power doesn't mean you have to use it. You could still drive around like you were last night but this time you would be straining the engine less. A 1.4 8v is hardly going to setting the world alight anyway, unless your strapping a turbo to it I doubt it will be any really threat to your license

Just because you have more power doesn't mean you have to use it. You could still drive around like you were last night but this time you would be straining the engine less.

This is true, but isn't putting your foot down and reaching the redline half the fun?

just fit a GT box, you can be on the limiter in fifth and only going 17mph

Best fun is going to a small track (big go kart track for example) and hooning around. We were up at Boyndie which they use for local sprints. Was in the Clio 182 Cup and friend had his Mk5 GTi. Managing to clock 80mph+ down the straight and turned my rear tyres to shreds.

However fun a small car is on the road...nothing can be driving right up to the limit and beyond in something quick that handles.

Just now I'm going between driving the Polo GT and my BMW E46 328 and so far I find myself wanting to drive the GT more because it's more fun for more of the time.

The BMW is good as it's got close to 200bhp going to the rear wheels and I've got it sitting nice on coilies but because I can't push it hard enough on the public road it just gets used more like a comfy cruiser. But for the likes of overtaking it's nice to know I've got the power to do almost anything.

With the GT I've got to plan ahead a bit more...but maybe that's part of the fun.

Just now I'm going between driving the Polo GT and my BMW E46 328 and so far I find myself wanting to drive the GT more because it's more fun for more of the time.

The BMW is good as it's got close to 200bhp going to the rear wheels and I've got it sitting nice on coilies but because I can't push it hard enough on the public road it just gets used more like a comfy cruiser. But for the likes of overtaking it's nice to know I've got the power to do almost anything.

With the GT I've got to plan ahead a bit more...but maybe that's part of the fun.

You know your beemer only has 22bhp/tonne more than your Polo...so with the GT box on it and a little weight out of it or more power it wouldn't be that far behind at legal speeds...in a straight line at least.

Lol I do the same! Switch between e46 and mk2f, Polos a billion times more fun

I have admitted in the past to ruining my Polo when i made it faster (not as much as ruining it by breaking it, but that's another matter). Of all the fun it is to have some speed on tap, it can be frustrating when there's traffic and i'm having to hold off all the time.

There is definately an argument for a little engine with lots of life in it but not much power, especially when you can work the car, stir the gearbox, really get into it and yet still only be doing the same speed as everyone else! Same with the skinny tyres etc, bringing tactics and competence into it whether you're on a wet B-road or busy motorway.

But i mainly use dual carriageways and the like due to the comprehensive grid-type bypass system in my town, and rarely drive in rush hour due to my shift pattern, so having a bit more poke is better for what i use it for. It's still in a tiny, ultralight little go-kart without power steering etc, after all.

Just now I'm going between driving the Polo GT and my BMW E46 328 and so far I find myself wanting to drive the GT more because it's more fun for more of the time.

The BMW is good as it's got close to 200bhp going to the rear wheels and I've got it sitting nice on coilies but because I can't push it hard enough on the public road it just gets used more like a comfy cruiser. But for the likes of overtaking it's nice to know I've got the power to do almost anything.

With the GT I've got to plan ahead a bit more...but maybe that's part of the fun.

You know your beemer only has 22bhp/tonne more than your Polo...so with the GT box on it and a little weight out of it or more power it wouldn't be that far behind at legal speeds...in a straight line at least.

I hadn't thought about the difference in power like that before, in bhp/tonneBut then when you get out on the open road (or even a private road) the GT I find pulls to 90 really easy but doesn't like much more than that. Yet the BMW sails past 100 like its just out for a stroll in the park. It will take a lot more power to make the GT move like that but I don't think I want it to. I may try a GT box on the Polo see what that does though, it's just finding one up here!

I kind of agree with Mikey, I kind of miss my mk3 with an AAV purring along

My car is only a 1.0 - L spec 6N and yeah its not the fastest thing out there and i have driven cars that easily triple or quadruple the power that it puts out, but they never feel the same, sure they can blitz around when you are able to (motorway's and A roads normally), The little 6N just is so much more fun to drive, less cumbersome and so much more direct than the bigger cars and especially with no power steering, is just so much nicer a feel with the road itself, being able to feel the grip of your tyres is just so nice.

It may be a slow daily, but it's my daily, it doesn't matter what you drive just as long as you have fun while doing so :-) .

A lot of bigger more powerful cars are an involved drive where you can feel the grip etc, jus usually end up having to be going a lot faster, I was on track yesterday happily going round corners over 100mph which felt like nothing, id imagine in a polo id have been beyond the grip limits a while before and in a wall by that speed lol.

I really dont get people who say they get more "feel" without powersteering.

I drive a 1984 Polo and a PD Golf Anni.

I would choose the Golf anyday over the Polo because its more powerful and is easier to feel when things like understeer are about to occur. In the Polo all that you know about it is that your happily going round a corner and then suddenly the wheel goes light and you're understeering into the nearest field. Not ideal. Whereas in the golf theres a bit of a vibration like feeling before it happens which warns you that you're close to the limit.

I still love the Polo though, just for the fact that its best suited to nice relaxed driving. Then on the other hand the Golf is better to drive it like you stole it

I guess it different for the individual personally I get the feeling more when there isnt power steering, others might with hydraulic or electric power steering.

I just like the fight my fat ass 6n gives me from time to time lol.

You can get more feeling with some PAS systems nowadays than non assisted.

You're kind of stuck with the feeling on a passive system, only really altered by suspension/alignment etc, whereas a lot of modern PAS has variable assistance for feel and more of an involved drive; different modes in the car changing shit etc, easy parking efforts, heavier more connected feel in a sport/dynamic mode etc, all depends on the car in question really.

In my experience, progressive PAS is better than un-assisted when doing higher speeds...

You can get more feeling with some PAS systems nowadays than non assisted.

You're kind of stuck with the feeling on a passive system, only really altered by suspension/alignment etc, whereas a lot of modern PAS has variable assistance for feel and more of an involved drive; different modes in the car changing shit etc, easy parking efforts, heavier more connected feel in a sport/dynamic mode etc, all depends on the car in question really.

My dad's old 530d had a PAS system that also adjusted how much you needed to turn the while at higher speeds i.e on motorways, which he said took away the potentially dangerous twitchyness you get.

which i get all the sodding time in my polo. and tram tracking that is a total ass

You can get more feeling with some PAS systems nowadays than non assisted.

You're kind of stuck with the feeling on a passive system, only really altered by suspension/alignment etc, whereas a lot of modern PAS has variable assistance for feel and more of an involved drive; different modes in the car changing shit etc, easy parking efforts, heavier more connected feel in a sport/dynamic mode etc, all depends on the car in question really.

My dad's old 530d had a PAS system that also adjusted how much you needed to turn the while at higher speeds i.e on motorways, which he said took away the potentially dangerous twitchyness you get.

which i get all the sodding time in my polo. and tram tracking that is a total ass

It may take away twitchyness now but what about if the system ever fails....no direct mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels. That's something that does scare me just a little.

You can get more feeling with some PAS systems nowadays than non assisted.

You're kind of stuck with the feeling on a passive system, only really altered by suspension/alignment etc, whereas a lot of modern PAS has variable assistance for feel and more of an involved drive; different modes in the car changing shit etc, easy parking efforts, heavier more connected feel in a sport/dynamic mode etc, all depends on the car in question really.

My dad's old 530d had a PAS system that also adjusted how much you needed to turn the while at higher speeds i.e on motorways, which he said took away the potentially dangerous twitchyness you get.

which i get all the sodding time in my polo. and tram tracking that is a total ass

It may take away twitchyness now but what about if the system ever fails....no direct mechanical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels. That's something that does scare me just a little.

I see what youre saying but I would have faith that it would work, I can imagine if it were broken it wouldnt start when you first started it up.

plus BMW build quality is pretty good, if it were a corvette then i would be completely understanding :p

There is ALWAYS a physical link, it's against the law to sell a car in the UK and I think at the moment worldwide market without a physical connection, regardless of assistance failure.

I know Mercedes made a system which was fully electronic/Solenoids, ie no physical connection for demonstration purposes.

IIRC BMW use servotronic which is just a solenoid which alters flow the the valve in the steering rack.

The PAS on my old focus was so over assisted it couldn't of felt less connected to the car if it tried. It was like playing a computer driving game with one of those early steering wheel controls from the 90's.

The PAS on my old focus was so over assisted it couldn't of felt less connected to the car if it tried. It was like playing a computer driving game with one of those early steering wheel controls from the 90's.

Ford do shite PAS though...

TOCA Race Driver + Force Feedback wheel FTW!!

Edited 1 August, 201313 yr by Matt Mk3loon